"Braxill! Braxill! Braxill!"
Gravixor, seeing his exhaustion, shouted, "Hey, put him down! He's worn out!" The bears simply shifted their cheers, lifting her into the air next.
"Gravixor! Gravixor!"
Grax found Grixie in the crowd and pulled her into a tight embrace. "I'm sorry I couldn't be there to save you myself," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion.
Grixie just smiled. "It's alright, Grax. Sending Braxill was the right thing to do. He saved us all."
"With the power of joy," Grax replied, a proud grin on his face.
Later, Braxill lay on the ground, still tired from his loss of Abi.
Moco sat nearby, watching over him. She also took the time to observe the Bear tibe unsure what to make them.
Grutix, meanwhile, realized that amongst the rescued were coyotes, deer, monkeys, and lizards who had returned to their villages, but the humans refused to go back to their Zoner territories.
"Hey, what are we going to do about all these humans?" Grutix asked Grinex. "None of them want to go back to their territory."
Grinex grunted in frustration. "I don't know, but Braxill is the only exception. I refuse to deal with them."
Grax, overhearing them, approached the group of humans. "I understand that your lands are in devastating condition. My comrades have made me aware of this," he began, his voice sympathetic but firm. "However, we cannot allow you to stay here. It is not because we do not have respect for you. It is clear that you are Demigods, but due to the current political climate, we must protect our own. With that said, we will be sure to send you all on your way with bags of food."
The humans listened, their faces etched with disappointment.
Lanni walked alongside Peekol, a soldier bear. She stopped when she saw Braxill fast asleep against a tree. "How could Gravixor leave him alone?" Peekol exclaimed, rushing over to the boy.
"Braxill! Where is Gravixor? Why did she leave you alone like this?"
Braxill began to wake up, his eyes still a bit fuzzy. "Is dinner ready?" His vision cleared. "Oh, Peekol, hey. Gravixor went picking for berries, I think. You know, she's in charge of the food gathering."
"Why don't you go inside and sleep in one of the huts where it's comfortable?" Peekol suggested.
Braxill shook his head. "It's too quiet. If I sleep out here, I can hear all the joyous voices and the singing and dancing bears." Peekol looked around at the lively, bustling village and had to admit it was a fair point.
Lanni then approached, a respectful smile on her face. "Braxill, my name is Lanni. I am the First Leader of the Zoner Knights. It's a pleasure to meet you, Visionary."
"You're a knight?" Braxill asked, his eyes wide with wonder.
"Yes, I am in the Knights class, and you are in the Visionary class," she explained.
"I'm a Visionary?"
"What you did was brave, because of you the entire Zoner district will be able to eat." Lanni said, her praise genuine. "To destroy a Sedmo robot while still a child... continue to work on your Art and build your strength. When you do, you will not feel so fatigued after creating."
Braxill beamed. "I'll see you around," Lanni said, walking off. Moco couldn't help but observe his afro, lips, and brown oaktree skin.
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Braxill started to doze off, his head lolling to the side. Moco scooted closer. With a final yawn, Braxill fell sideways, his head coming to rest on Moco's lap. She blushed furiously but said nothing, simply letting him sleep there.
After a long day of berry picking, Gravixor returned to find Braxill and Moco. She smiled softly at the sight. "Sorry about that," she said to Moco. "He just gets really tired after using his imagination." Gravixor gently picked Braxill up, placing him on her back. "Grixie told me about you. Moco, right?"
"Yes," Moco replied, her voice barely a whisper.
"Well, I'm not sure what your plans are, but if you want, you can sleep in my hut until the morning."
Moco, unsure how to respond, simply got up and watched Gravixor walk off with Braxill.
Later that night, in Gravixor's hut, Braxill's eyes slowly opened.
He saw Moco sleeping across from him.
He sat up, shook his afro out like a bear, and gently covered Moco with a mini blanket he had created.
Braxill's eye shined etheral green. A wolf appeared infont of him along side a tv and game console. The wolf smiled.
Moco woke up, a strange sound reaching her ears. It was the sound of video game characters, controllers, and the familiar electronic music of a retro arcade. She saw Braxill sitting with a large, blue wolf, a creation too blue to be real. Moco, having never heard of a video game, was utterly confused.
Braxill, with a competitive look in his eyes, shouted, "I win!" The blue wolf high-fived him, and then Braxill saw Moco. Everything stopped.
"What is this?" Moco asked. Braxill, still in awe of his own creation, began to explain. "It's a video game! It's super fun! Here, you can try!" He gave her the controller, but as he went to show her how to play, he caught himself. Realizing he might be doing too much, his face fell. "Sorry," he mumbled, looking downhearted.
Moco, registering his change in mood, asked, "Well, are you going to show me or not?"
Braxill's face flushed with a faint blush. "Yeah!" He gently placed his hand on top of hers, guiding her fingers on the controller. Moco slowly became more comfortable with his touch. A smile touched her lips as her character defeated an enemy on the screen.
Braxill, his eyes wide with excitement, shouted, "Wow, you did it! You learned faster than me!"
Later, Moco and Braxill sat perched on a high branch of a giant honey tree. Boney, Moco's scythe, slowly licked Braxill's hand like an affectionate cat.
"Wow, your scythe is so cute," Braxill said, stroking the bone-creature's head.
Moco nodded. "She can do all sorts of things."
"Like what?"
"She can eat anything, and he can turn into a giant monster-like creature. She can even fuse with my body."
"That's sooo awesome," Braxill said, his eyes glowing. "You are awesome."
"Your power is also amazing," Moco replied softly. "The simple fact that you can imagine whatever you want is incredible. Everything you make is like nothing I've ever seen."
"Most of it is from the library," Braxill admitted.
"Library?" Moco repeated, intrigued.
"Yep, one day I'll show you."
After a quiet moment, Braxill asked, "You're still going to the Surface?"
"Yes" Moco replied curtly.
"Then why go to the Surface?" he pressed.
"To find my family," she said, her voice dropping to a whisper.
"You mean the Scytherians?" Braxill inquired, his innocent eyes wide.
Moco froze, a painful silence hanging between them. After a long moment, she whispered, "Yes."
Braxill's smile returned, unburdened by her confession. "My family is Grax," he offered simply, as if sharing a profound truth.
Moco stared at him, bewildered. "What's wrong with you? Why are you acting like..." She trailed off, searching for the right words.
"Like what?" Braxill prompted, genuinely curious.
Moco's frustration finally reached its peak. "Pretending to be a bear!"
Braxill's smile softened, radiating a quiet conviction. "Because if I don't, then I just feel like I don't belong. God says it's okay if I want to be a bear even if I'm not. It just means I admire creation, that's all. I still know I'm human, but being like Grax makes me feel joyous."
Braxill smiles.
"Why are you so happy all the time?!" Moco exclaimed, a mixture of anger and confusion in her voice. She slid down the tree trunk.
"Wait!" Braxill called out following after her. Moco paused, her back to him. "What is it?"
Braxill "I'm not always happy, you know. Sometimes I feel alone, but many times I don't because I think about you."
Moco "You're annoying ya know that." she stared into Braxill's eyes, a strange emotion crossing her face. She chuckled.
"What? Why is that funny? I mean it. I know you don't like me, but I figured I'd say it anyway." He sighed, dejected.
Moco turned and walked off, but before she disappeared into the trees, she stopped, turned around, and walked back to him. A small smile appeared on her face as she looked at him. "I said you were annoying," she said softly, "I never said I didn't like you." Braxill's eyes widened. Moco "Thank you for saving me". She reached out and gently tapped his nose with her finger.
"Teddy bear point," she whispered, a ghost of a laugh in her voice, before finally walking away.